


Sixteen Ain't So Sweet

by TheSmallishOne



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Female Friendship, Gen, Girls with Guns, Infected Characters, Minor Character Death, Sarcasm, Survival Horror, Swearing, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28760634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSmallishOne/pseuds/TheSmallishOne
Summary: I think it's Karma; all those times I gave my sister shit in the past and ditched school, it's finally biting me in the ass in the form of  a zombie apocalypse. It only gets worse when I lose my best friend and get infected with the same virus that turned everyone into man eating monsters. And now they're going to wipe Raccoon City off of the map, on October first -on my sixteenth birthday of all damn days. Here's hoping I survive it.Follow Lia Valentine; Jill Valentine's younger, trouble-making sister, as she tries to make it through Raccoon City, Nemesis and everything else in-between, all the while trying to keep her sanity and survive  being infected by the T-virus.
Kudos: 3





	1. Unsuspecting Shit-Show

When people think of family reunions, they don't expect having to survive through a weird, fucked-up zombie apocalypse where a single bite or scratch can turn you, and a mutant monstrosity out to kill your sister. I've only just turned sixteen -I should be going out with friends, having a boyfriend, doing _normal_ things like _normal_ teenagers instead of _trying_ to stay _alive_!

But before I get _too_ far in my ranting, let me rewind and start from the beginning; throwing you in the deep end is a shit-show -I should know, I'm there.

It all started on a seemingly normal day -what? I'm reading you my story, so be quiet and listen, it'll get interesting soon. Ahem, as I was saying -it all started on a seemingly normal day; sun bright, birds chirping, and me stuck in school listening to our history teacher drone on in that annoying voice of his.

No one really paid him any attention; most of the class turning in their seats to chat to their friends about plans for the upcoming weekend. Me? Well, I was drawing doodles of Chris Redfield on an empty page at the back of my notebook, hearts and all. Who could blame me, even with the nine-year age gap? Has anyone seen those arms? Not to mention he's a close friend of my sister's, so I get to see him up close and personal whenever I visit the police station to bug said sister.

"Hey, Lia, are you doing anything at the weekend for your birthday? Want to stay over, go shopping, watch movies?" My best friend, Zoe, threw her head back as she leaned back on two legs of her chair, her long golden hair spilling over my doodling. I looked up and met her bright blue eyes and excited sunny smile -she was someone who never had a bad mood, always cheerful and attracting everyone to her. I grinned and leaned my elbow on the edge of the desk, mindful of her long hair, and plopped my chin in my palm.

"Consider it a date, chick. I'll pen you in as _very_ important in my diary, so my sister don't have me running stupid errands for her as she can't leave the apartment." Zoe giggled and sprung back up, turning fully so her back was facing the oblivious teacher.

"Aw, it can't be that bad, can it? That Chief Irons is a major jerk doing that to your sister; she was only doing her job, for Pete's sake!" Even angry, Zoe never once sounded hateful or harsh. I wish I had a few of her nice traits -I usually just get into trouble once my mouth starts running. Huh, maybe that's what got my sister into trouble most of the time, too...

"Ugh, don't remind me. Irons creeps me out -there was one time I went to the police station to bring lunch for my sis, and he just stared at me with this weird, creepy look in his eye. He's either a murderer or a rapist, I just know it!" Just the thought of the freaky Chief of Police had me grimacing and goosebumps prickling up my spine. I don't know how my sister stands being around him, much less work under him!

"Oh I hope not, could you imagine what he'd get away with in his position-"

"ALL STUDENTS ARE TO EVACUATE TO THE MAIN ENTRANCE IMMEDIATELY. THE SCHOOL IS NO LONGER SAFE -LEAVE ALL BELONGINGS BEHIND! I REPEAT, ALL STUDENTS ARE TO EVACUATE TO THE MAIN ENTRANCE IMMEDIATELY AS IT IS NO LONGER SAFE, AND TO LEAVE ALL BELONGINGS BEHIND. THIS IS SERIOUS AND NOT A DRILL!"

Everyone silenced at the principal's voice over the speakers, the clear panic reaching our ears. It took a moment for my class to register the words before they were all up and shoving each other to the door, some screaming as they fought to get past.

I looked back at Zoe, seeing her eyes wide with shock and fear, and I gently grabbed her hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything is fine and everyone is overreacting. And if it's not... I'll keep you safe, okay?" I see her swallow back her tears and nod, her lips quivering into a small smile as she grip my hand tightly.

"Thanks, Lia. I trust you." I felt my own lips tug into a smile and we stood, making our way to the door just as the last of our class pushed their way through. We hung back from the rush of the others as we walked down the halls and stairs until we reached the main entrance, the loud hustle of hundreds of students gathered, worrying and panicking, almost drowning out the words of the principal.

"-erupted in the city, and is spreading fast! Each class will be guided by their homeroom teacher to their homes in vehicles, for safety reasons! No questions, just get home safe!" Screaming suddenly came from the back of the crowd, the fear like a physical wave as it spread amongst everyone until they were running back towards the school, tripping and treading over one another. I quickly pulled Zoe off to the side, away from the stampede of students, my eyes searching everywhere for whatever caused them to be so terrified -and then I spotted it.

The fencing around campus had crashed down, blood coated people from the street scrambling up and latching onto the closest student and... tearing their teeth into them. What in the actual fuck?

"Are you shitting me right now -this isn't a video game, or a movie! What the fuck is going on?!" Zoe flinched next to me, her eyes wide and terrified, tears streaming down her paled cheeks but not once letting go of my hand or leaving my side. "We need to get out of here before they see us -I'm not letting that happen to either of us!" She nodded with a sniffle and I all but pulled her along with me around the side of the school building, tracing my usual route when I want to skip lessons or school itself. Though usually it's an escape from the window and down the gutter, not straight from the ground, but that's not the point and either way it still works.

We jogged until I found the small cut I'd made in the fence; hardly noticeable to anyone not knowing what they were looking for, but this was something I used often. I slipped my hand out of Zoe's to untangle the wire I used to keep the fence looking untouched and squeezed easily through the gap, checking the coast was clear before I motioned Zoe through.

"Just don't let go of my hand, okay? We're going to need to go to my place; my sister will know what to do. And she has a gun for... you know? She's a cop." She kept quiet at that, her shaking hand slipping back in mine and we trudged on, and I've never felt more thankful towards my sister for drilling survival methods into my head after she came back from that Mansion incident. I dread to think what horrors she'd seen; she'd been closed off for months and hadn't told me anything.

"Lia? I-I'm scared, what if... What if there's p-people like that all t-through the city when we get t-there?" Zoe's soft stuttered voice brought me out of my musings and I glanced back at her, trying to offer a reassuring smile. "We'll be okay. Once we get to my sister, we'll be fine, I promise."

"Yeah... Do you -Do you know w-what they are? Why this... is happening?" I kept myself alert to everything around me even as I mulled over her question. Being the sister of a police officer, let alone one from the S.T.A.R.S unit, Zoe probably thought I knew more than I actually did -which wasn't much, only useless snippets from old reports that were carelessly left out at home.

"In all honesty I'm not sure; something about that corporation called Umbrella and that my sister was investigating it. That's when Irons put her on house arrest." Now that I thought about it, why _had_ Irons done that? Was he somehow involved with Umbrella? And if so, was he involved with what was happening now?

"Let's just keep moving, our apartment is still a long ways off."

_**x-ResidentEvil-x** _

The sky was bleeding into inky blue by the time we made it to my street, and the closer we got to the main city, more of those _zombies_ seemed to be about. It was hard, I got to admit, to sneak around them with no weapons and Zoe stifling her whimpers, but we managed. The explosions and fire with sirens a little further away seemed to help keep them off our asses, I guess. As well as some barricades put in place, though they seemed easy enough to tear down. Probably not built for zombie-apocalypse trafficking.

"Nearly there, Zo. Just a little more, can you do it?" She didn't trust her voice and instead nodded, her hand sweaty and cold in mine but I didn't dare let go of her. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to her.

We rounded the corner, using the crashed cars and overall destruction to hide from any prowling man-eaters, and an involuntary gasp left my lips at the sight of my home. Flames licked through broken windows on the lower floors and rubble littering the ground outside from large holes in the outer walls. Were they from explosions or something else?

"Lia... Lia!" Zoe's panicked whisper and her shaking my arm tore my eyes from the building, her eyes impossibly large as she pointed over at a fairly big group of zombies feasting on a body not far from us. "Shit, let's move from here. We need to get to the fourth floor -there should be a fire escape along that wall, we can use that to climb up. But we have to be quiet."

We crouch-walked behind a van that had crashed into the wall of the adjoined building, then to the garbage bins, until we made it to the ladder. I checked around us before boosting Zoe up first, waiting with a racing pulse as she climbed higher so I could make a leap for the end of the bars.

"Lia watch out!" A snarl below me had my heart leap into my throat, my arms straining to pull myself up as I kicked at the hands making a grab for my legs. "Lia!"

"Get off of me, you disgusting mother of fucks!" I felt my foot collide with its face and its hands leave my calves, a strangled yell escaping me as I managed to pull myself up and place my feet onto the bars.

"Lia, are you okay?!" I panted and gave her a thumbs up, not quite able to speak as I tried to breath past the lump in my throat and finished climbing the ladder to meet her on the balcony above. "Oh god, I was so scared it was going to get you! Are you sure you're okay?" There were tears running down her face again and I gave her a soft smile, rubbing them away with the cuff of my school sweater.

"Hey, I'm fine, see? But thank you for caring."

"Of course I care! You're my best friend!" She sniffled and pulled me in for a hug, her tiny frame trembling against me. I squeezed her back and pulled away after a few seconds, not trusting us to be safe enough to let our guards down. It didn't seem to bother her as she wiped away the rest of her tears, her hand finding mine once again as we followed the stairs up until we reached the fourth floor and to an open window next to our room.

I climbed in first, warily looking around for any sign of living -or dead, but finding the room empty. "It's safe, come on in Zoe, but stay in here while I check the hallway outside." I waited for her to climb through and signalled her to hide to the side, so she was out of immediate sight if anything were to be outside the dented door, and slowly pulled it open.

Nothing greeted me on the other side, and I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. But my nerves only became more frayed at the broken walls and floor, smoke swirling in the hall from the lower floor's fires. What the heck had caused this?

I stepped out and half walked, half jogged to my sister's room to the left, hoping it was still in one piece and that she was okay-

The front door and surrounding wall was completely blown out, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach as I stepped through into the corridor, broken plaster crunching under the soles of my shoes, finding the whole room a mess of destruction. I completely forgot about Zoe until her soft steps sounded behind me, and even then I couldn't turn to acknowledge her; my eyes only on the wreckage and handgun lying discarded on the wood floor.

"Jill?" I hated how my voice sounded so meek and the abrupt tears that burned my eyes, my pulse escalating as I moved to check each room with no sign of my older sister. The large hole in her bedroom had a foreboding feeling slither down my spine, but I stepped towards it anyway, my shoe catching on something and sending it skidding across the room. It was our home phone.

"Lia... We should go... Your sister probably escaped, we should check where she'd go next." I mulled over Zoe's words, eyes firmly on the phone, before reaching down and picking it up and dialling the police station's number. If anywhere, she'd be there, right?

"She might be at the police station, it's the only logical thing, right? C'mon, c'mon, pick up already...!"

" _Our lines are currently busy or unavailable, please hold or try again later."_

"Oh that's just great! The city goes to shit and I can't even get through to the police? Fuck, Jill, where are you..?" My teeth gnawed at my lip until I felt the skin split and iron coat my tongue, and suddenly something cool and metal was placed in my hand as another squeezed my left. I lifted my sight from Jill's handgun to meet determined sky blue eyes, dry tear tracks staining pale cheeks, and I thanked whatever entity out there that I had such an amazing friend that stuck by me for so long, no matter how much trouble I got myself in over the years.

"We'll find her, Lia. I promise, we'll find her. You know how to use one of these, right? We'll be safer with this." I glanced back down at the gun and coiled my fingers around it properly, feeling a surge of confidence and determination with it in my hand.

"Yeah... Jill keeps extra magazines in her underwear drawer for whatever reason; we'll take them with us just to be safe."

"I wouldn't peg what you've told me about your sister to hide things in there, but okay..." I stepped around the rubble and to the side of Jill's bed, opening said drawer and rifling through mounds of a variety of knickers that had my cheeks flushing in embarrassment ( _oh my God I can't believe she actually wears some of these things!_ ) until my fingers tapped against cardboard boxes. I was quick to snatch them out and slam the drawer closed, ignoring the pair of frilly pink panties half hanging out and Zoe's giggle in favour of checking how many bullets were left in the gun itself. Eight out of the full capacity of fifteen. Jill had used seven bullets on something -was it whatever that crashed through the bedroom wall?

I shook the thought from my head and turned to Zoe, seeing the large hole in the knee of her tights and a rip in the hem of her skirt. Mine was just as bad, if not worse.

"Let's change out of these stupid uniforms and get the hell out of here."


	2. Rag-tag Bunch of Survivors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think it's Karma; all those times I gave my sister shit in the past and ditched school, it's finally biting me in the ass in the form of a zombie apocalypse. It only gets worse when I lose my best friend and get infected with the same virus that turned everyone into man eating monsters. And now they're going to wipe Raccoon City off of the map, on October first -on my sixteenth birthday of all damn days. Here's hoping I survive it.   
> Follow Lia Valentine; Jill Valentine's younger, trouble-making sister, as she tries to make it through Raccoon City, Nemesis and everything else in-between, all the while trying to keep her sanity and survive being infected by the T-virus.

“Do you know where else she would go, apart from the police station? If I were her, I wouldn’t go there… Not with everything going on with Chief Irons… If anyone  _ is _ still there...” I glanced back over my shoulder at Zoe, seeing her worry her lip between her pearly teeth, eyes downcast. We’d both shed our uniforms and took to jeans and some old band t-shirts from my, surprisingly enough, intact wardrobe before we warily took to the streets once again.

“You’re right… as always,” I half-heartedly grinned, though turned my attention back in front of me to keep an eye out for stray zombies. “Maybe she went to the school-” My words were cut off as a semi-constructed building covered in scaffolding a little ways off from us erupted in explosions, fire raining down onto the ground below. “Shit, well we’re definitely not going that way. Let’s try to divert and get around by Toy Uncle, with any luck we might bump into her along the way. I  _ really _ don’t fancy going back to the school...” I left the rest of my words hanging in the air, neither of us brave enough to voice them - _ and seeing how many of our classmates were killed, or turned, while we escaped. _

I shook my head and tugged Zoe up a fire exit of a small store, taking a deep breath before twisting the handle to find it open. I peeked my head through the gap, straining my eyes against the dark for any signs of life and finding nothing; no movement and no sound from inside. “It’s clear inside, let’s see if they have anything we can use as a weapon. You’re going to need one if, God forbid, we somehow get separated or I’m not quick enough.” Zoe said nothing, yet I could see the fear in her eyes as the thought rolled over in her head, her fingers trembling in my hand while we crept into the store, closing the door quietly behind us. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and led her over to the cashier counter.

“Check behind the cash register for a gun or something you can use -I’ll check the back. If you get spooked or see anything, just yell, okay? I won’t be long, I promise.” Her fingers squeezed mine as she nodded, “Yeah, I will.” before letting go and making her way around the register with determination in her gait. I felt proud of her, considering how scared she was, and made my way to the room in the back with my guard up and both hands wrapped around Jill’s handgun. The door was left ajar, though as I tried to push it open it didn’t budge at all, leaving me having to squeeze through the small gap with minor effort.

I was met with the overhead light flickering in that ominous, horror movie-like way, though with the small room empty there was nothing to jump out at me in that cliche way. It had my shoulders sag in relief -scenes like this always get your mind overreacting for the worst, but thankfully I was in luck.

“Hey Lia? I think I found a shotgun, but it’s chained under the counter. Are there any keys back there?” Zoe called out softly, the jingle of chains reaching my ears as I assumed she was tugging at them. I searched through the drawers, cabinets, and the desk crammed in the corner until I found them stuffed in the bottom drawer with a keyring of a caramel coloured cat attached,  _ I love my cat _ carved at the bottom.  _ Huh _ , cat lover. “Yeah, got them.” Nothing else was of any use, just your typical staffroom/office area devoid of anything exciting.

I squeezed back through the jammed door’s gap again, wincing at a sharp sting running across my thigh through my jeans, and made my way back to Zoe while awkwardly rubbing the scratch. Stupid door must’ve had a nail or something sticking out that I missed the first time; I could feel blood welling and soaking into the dark grey denim already.

“You okay? You’re bleeding…” Zoe’s worried voice had me snapping my head up to meet her concerned blue irises, and I rubbed the stinging spot once more before straightening back up. 

“Just scratched myself on that door; nothing to worry about. Here, hopefully it fits the lock.” I handed her the key with the cat keyring, fighting back a grin as she raised her eyebrows at the furry until she turned and crouched behind the counter, an audible  _ click _ sounding along with the clink of chain falling to the ground. “Alright! How do you check the uh, chamber?” 

**_x-ResidentEvil-x_ **

Zoe happily kept hold of the shotgun, feeling more confident with the ‘higher power’ firearm after I showed her how to check the chamber and how to reload, her pockets full of spare bullets. She was like a big kid in a toy shop -speaking of, the giant head of Toy Uncle greeted us as we rounded the corner by Moon’s Donuts, which, by the way, had an  _ amazing  _ selection to choose from.  _ Had _ . I’ll miss that place and my special loyalty discount.

“Kind of weird there’s been no sign of  _ zombies  _ since we left your sister’s place.” I huffed a laugh, reminding myself to be quiet, at the way she spat ‘zombies’ out, though I couldn’t blame her; it still all seemed too surreal, like we’d been sucked into a fucked up video game. Too bad we only had one life, which made it all the more real -for me, at least.

“You’re right -again. I wonder if something scared them off…?” My thoughts went back to the giant hole and overall destruction of Jill’s,  _ our _ , home and my missing sister in general. It couldn’t be a coincidence… Something had tracked her down and was probably chasing her, and whatever it was, it was enough to scare the small-fry off.  _ Fuck,  _ Jill, what have you gotten yourself into…? I shook my head and made for the steps leading up to the toy store.

“Let’s just keep moving while it’s quiet-” Clanging footsteps had me stopping short and whipping around to face whatever was coming up behind us, my gun up and aimed… only to drop it down in shock as my sister, looking worse for wear, came rushing down the metal stairs opposite from where we came. 

“Jill?!” 

“Lia?! What the fuck are you doing here -nevermind! We need to get the hell out of here,  _ now _ !” Her eyes flitted to Zoe then back to me, lips pressed into a thin line before she motioned us up the steps in a hurry. “Don’t leave my side, either of you.” She jogged up the stone steps and we didn’t miss a beat in following her, my heart hammering in my chest at the wild terror I’d seen swimming in her grey-blue irises, slightly lighter than my own. I glanced at Zoe, her grip tight on the shotgun in her hands and a sheen of perspiration coating the skin of her face; she must be exhausted. Running about so much wasn’t something she was used to -I was more the sporty, tom-boyish one out of us while she was more the girly-girl category, preferring piano lessons to cross country. 

Lost in my thoughts I hadn’t realised Jill had stopped until I almost crashed into her back, Zoe tripping but catching herself as she gasped at the flaming object crashing straight into the head of Toy Uncle, blowing the thing right off of the top of the store. 

“You’ve got to be shitting me…!” I yelped, just as Jill groaned a “This is  _ insane _ !” before we bolted back down the stairs and hid around the corner until the rolling head passed, dust and ash billowing in the air.

“Jill, what the fuck is going on?!” My voice choked, but she made no effort to answer me as she shouted at us to move. I groaned but hoisted Zoe up, keeping my fingers locked around her wrist as I all but dragged her back up the steps despite our growing fatigue, fighting to match Jill’s pace. 

Flat ground was much easier to run on, our shoes slapping against the gravel when heavy, running footfalls sounded behind us. Zoe screamed and my head instinctively twisted to look behind us, my mouth gaping in a silent shriek at the towering  _ monstrosity _ chasing us. “Just keep running and don’t look back!” Jill yelled over the thundering steps and the sound of my frantically beating heart in my ears. I was sure my face had lost all traces of colour as I sprinted even harder, pulling Zoe along and tightening my grip on her wrist. Jill slammed an alley gate open, shoving us through and following up behind us with harsh pants when the thing’s steps disappeared and a stretch of clear alley met us, my feet skidding as we rushed around the corner.

“Jill! This way!” My eyes snapped up at the male voice, seeing a glimpse of military-like get-up just as he motioned us to follow and he ran off ahead, my breathing turning slightly erratic at the amount of running and walking we’d done all day. “Just a little more Zoe, we can do it!” I panted, wrapping my fingers around her own instead of crushing her small wrist. My shoes slipped on a large splatter of blood and it was Zoe’s turn to tug me back up into a run as Jill looked back, probably to check if I was okay. I gave her a thumbs up until a red line appeared over our heads and then by our feet, and suddenly we were all airborne, a rush of scorching heat sweeping over us as we crashed onto the gravel, both Zoe and I screaming while Jill let out a loud grunt.

“Just what the hell is that thing?!” I cried, struggling back to my feet and pulling a crying Zoe with me. Jill scrambled up and hooked her hand around my elbow, dragging us along when another line of red appeared on us, “No time to explain, just  _ run _ !” 

We didn’t need to be told twice as the bulking form stomped towards us, the muscles in our legs straining from the constant sprinting. The man waved us over towards the tube station -surely he was kidding, we’d be trapped in there with it! I glanced back behind me just as another explosion went off, sending the thing crashing into a truck. 

“Hey, you okay?” The man spoke to my sister, grabbing her arm and bringing her out of her shock. It was short lived, however, as the monstrosity picked itself back up and came at us again. The shaggy haired man finally took notice of Zoe and me, eyes widening momentarily before pushing us towards Jill, aiming his rifle at the thing. “Go… GO!” 

Jill grabbed my shoulder and pushed us towards the station, bullets firing behind us, when she suddenly stopped and turned back to the man. “C’mon! Forget about him!” 

He looked conflicted until he dashed after us, Jill pressing a switch on the wall as the male crouched and shot off a few bullets, exploding a petrol tanker outside just as the shutter closed, the impact throwing us back. My shoulder thumped against the cement, a cry escaping my lips when I felt Zoe’s weight land on me. At least I broke  _ someone’s  _ fall.

“Lia, are you okay?” She whimpered, rolling herself off of me and offering me a shaky hand. Jill’s face appeared above me, the worry on her face smoothing into relief when she offered me a hand to take, too. The both of them pulled me up, my shoulder twinging at being pulled and causing me to wince. “My shoulder hurts, but that’s it, I think.” 

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” The man panted, retrieving his gun and starting off again. I cast my disbelieving eyes over to Jill, only for her to shrug and follow after him; Zoe dragging us both so we were hot on their heels. “No ‘are you okay?’ for us, what the hell?” I muttered to my best friend, her arm around my waist as we jogged behind them. She choked on a startled laugh, eyes still wide and teary though she was slowly calming down if she was laughing at my sarcasm. “We’re alive, that’s good enough for me.” She whispered back after getting her breathing back under control, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. 

“I suppose it is.” We listened in on my sister’s conversation with the man, something about them getting off on the wrong start and thanking him for saving her, him replying that she saved his ass first -my eyes couldn’t roll back any further at the cliche-ness of it all. 

“What matters is that we can get everyone out of the city now.” Jill looked back at me, and for the first time since we found each other, she gave me a half proud, half relieved smile. Thankful that I was safe. It made my eyes water slightly, my lips tilting up.

“Yeah, you’ll all be safe… By the way, who are you two?” I opened my mouth to retort but Jill beat me to it, a smirk on her lips. 

“My kickass sister, Lia, and her friend-” I cut her off with dramatics, “ _ Best _ friend, mind you, and her name’s Zoe -not that you’d know. But thanks for the kickass comment, sis.” I stuck my tongue out at her childishly as she threw me a playful glare and I couldn’t help but laugh at the feel of normality from it, as though things weren’t as grim as they seemed.

“Glad you found her,” The male replied with an amused smile, his dark orbs flicking up at Zoe and me while we made our way down countless sets of unmoving escalators. “She’s done nothing but search over this whole town for you, knowing you’d ditch school. Was she right?” A smirk stretched across my lips at the sound of Jill  _ and  _ Zoe sighing in unison, both used to my antics. 

“Close, but no. I  _ was _ actually in school for once until we got told to evacuate, then all shit went to hell so I got Zoe and myself out before zombie freaks took a chunk out of us, and went back to Jill’s.” I said it so proudly that both Jill and the man stopped in the middle of the stairs, my sister in disbelief while the male didn’t know whether to be impressed or amused -probably both, if the side-glance at Jill was any indication. Because yep, despite me looking more like our mother, I took after Jill in  _ speech _ ; what does she expect when she’s basically raised me since our parents died, bless their souls, and I’ve had to put up with her bitching about Irons constantly? Of course I’d pick up on all the swear words -and the sarcasm.

“I’m more shocked you actually attended school properly for once. Shit, I’m proud, kid.”  _ See _ ? The man shook his head,  _ very  _ amused, and continued on, our footsteps the only sound echoing around us. “By the way sis, I think the apartment could do with some, uh…  _ renovations _ , it looks like shit.” She only gave me a bark of laughter and a shake of her head, not bothering to reply to that and instead targeted the man.

“So what about you, Carlos?” Finally, a name! We stopped at a closed set of shutters,  _ Carlos _ pressing the lever on the side and waiting as it began to lift with a clank. 

“From the sound of it, I won’t be catching the train.” My ears perked up at his words, train? Is that what he meant by us being safe? 

“Why not?” Confusion coated my sister’s voice, her eyes set on Carlos’ tanned face. Under the shaggy, dark hair, he was actually pretty damn handsome. Crap. Chris, watch out, you may have competition from  _ both _ Valentines.

“Ah, there’ll be new orders.” He paused, sweeping his eyes over at Zoe and me before resting his sight on Jill. “If it means I can help save the city, that’s fine by me.” Woah, hero material. And with the crappy underground subway’s light hitting the sheen of sweat on his muscular arms… yep, you definitely have competition, Chris. 

My sister said nothing even after the shutters fully drew up, and instead followed quietly behind him -Zoe and myself doing the same. I wonder, did Jill have a thing for this guy she’s only just met, during a zombie apocalypse of all things? He  _ did  _ seem her type, and it’d explain her unusually quiet demeanor. It’ll be something good to tease her about, later.

We carried on down the stairs until we reached the last set leading to the subway platform, Carlos standing to the side to let us pass first. I stopped and offered him a fist-bump, surprised when he didn’t hesitate to knock his knuckles against mine with a cute grin.

“Good work! Your reputation is well deserved.” A gravelly, Russian accented voice met my ears and I looked over at the white-bearded man walking towards my sister as we walked off the last step. His sight travelled over to us lingering on the bottom of the stairs, a grandfatherly smile working onto his aged face. “Get inside, the subway is about to leave.” Carlos walked past us with a blank face, the old guy giving him a nod. I looked to Jill for instructions, not really sure if I trust these men -Carlos aside, he did help save us, afterall. She nodded and we slowly walked to the open doors of the train, Zoe settling me down on a seat before slumping into the one next to me.

“Carlos, Tyrell. You have your orders. You need to go back out into the city and find Nathaniel Bard.” My ears perked again at the ‘famous’ arrogant bastard scientist’s name being mentioned, my neck craning to look out the window. Jill stood in the doorway, looking back over at the men with an unsure look in her eye.

“This isn’t the last ride out of town, right?” I hoped not, what would happen to Carlos and the other guy? Surely the old guy, presumably their boss, wouldn’t leave them stranded in the middle of a man-eating infested city to look for some stuck-up jackass?

“Do not worry. Once the civilians are safe, the train will be back.” I slumped in my seat in relief, Zoe looking at me strangely while I only shrugged, my energy spent now we could relax.

“It’s alright, you go on ahead.” Carlos reassured, a boyish grin on his face. “I’m not gonna die on you and leave you in a cold, cruel, Carlos-less world.” I couldn’t help the snort of laughter that erupted from me at his cheesy promise, even Zoe was quietly giggling, and I sent the man a double thumbs-up with a wide grin that he had the decency to look embarrassed by. I was starting to  _ really  _ like the guy, his good looks aside. I hope we saw him again, after all this. Even Jill huffed a laugh, a smirk on her lips and a short “Okay,” as she stepped fully into the train.

“You need to find this scientist. His vaccine research could save us all.” Wait, that stuck-up fuck had a vaccine already? Something seemed way too fishy to me, and I know Jill  _ knew  _ everything that was going on. She placed a hand on my shoulder, catching me staring at the men and knowing I was onto something, when clapping from the other side of seats caught our attention. 

“You see? You’re learning.” Another thick Russian accent, just who were these guys? A man I was completely oblivious to when we first got on the train was leering up at Jill like some twisted fuck, and she kindly sent an unimpressed look down at him. “The only life that matters is your  _ own. _ ” I sent him a glare of my own, not liking his attitude. What was his deal with my sister? Wanker… He bared his teeth in a nasty smile my way, my nose wrinkling at him. Gross.

“Good luck. Let’s go!” The boss-man stepped onto the train, breaking the tension, and the train started up. We caught one last glimpse of Carlos and I managed a small wave before he was gone from view.

**_x-ResidentEvil-x_ **

Something slumping against my sore shoulder had my body flinching from a spasm of pain that jolted me awake, my sleep induced sight finding Zoe’s head resting against me as she quietly snoozed. I felt fingers running through my hair and tilted my head up at Jill, though her calculating eyes rested on the two males a little ways from us, my brain slow to comprehend that they were talking about Bard. 

She twisted her body around, the soothing feel of her stroking my hair disappearing in favour of her watching the two like a hawk. I bit back a sigh and lowered my eyelids, but my curiosity was piqued and I watched them through my dark lashes as well.

“Are you worried about teammates? Or something else?” I felt lost as I discreetly listened to them, my shoulder aching with the added weight of Zoe’s head that I tried to ignore.

“Funny how brainless zombies can ambush a platoon like that. Funny the gate was  _ locked _ .” Hang on a second, was the old guy insinuating distrust of the asshat standing in front of him? I  _ knew _ he looked dodgy. “Don’t you think?” 

I couldn’t see the other’s face with his back turned towards us, but I could bet it wasn’t a very pretty sight after his boss’ words. But he surprised me when he chuckled, a frown pulling at my lips -I  _ really _ didn’t like that guy. 

The train suddenly lurched, screams reaching our ears and I instinctively held on to Zoe as she awoke with a start, our bodies thrown forward; Jill’s own hand locked on my bicep when the lights overhead flickered off, a foreboding feeling churning in my stomach.

“What was that?” The warmth of her fingers left me as she motioned me to stay put, words dying in my throat when she stepped up and away to face the doors separating us from the other cart, an orange-hued glow growing behind the glass. The foreboding only grew into fear as the doors swept open; the hulking, monstrous form from before standing in the wreckage of what was the back of the train, where the other survivors were now dead at its feet.

“How is this fucker not dead yet?!” Jill began running towards the thing and I was on my feet, screaming “Jill, no!” before the boss-man grabbed her from going further. I inwardly thanked him as he tried talking sense into her, pulling at her arm to get her to follow him. My worry for my sister and the fear bubbling away inside me blocked everything else around out until they came running towards us, Jill grabbing my hand and pulling us with her, only for her to stop at the closed set of doors with the creep grinning behind the glass.

“Nicholai, what are you doing?” I’d never heard my sister sound so desperate until now, and part of me knew it was because I was here. She was desperate to keep me safe, and this fucker had jeopardized that.

Zoe shook beside me and there was nothing I could do to reassure her, because no matter how I looked at it, there was no getting out of this one. 

“It’s not after me.” My teeth grit in anger at the bastard, my heart hammering in my ears when Jill’s eyes locked onto my own -and I knew, just then, that she was going to do something stupid. Still, she bashed on the door and screamed at Nicholai, to let us go at least, when the sound of gunshots almost burst my eardrums in the confined space.

I whipped my eyes to the aged, boss-man just as an awful wet crunch sounded, Jill running towards him before I could stop her but she never reached him. He was dragged like a ragdoll towards the monstrosity, and we could do nothing but watch.

“Get off my train,  _ shitbird _ !” I could just make out a device in his hand, my throat seizing and making my warning too late when he pressed the button.

“Jill-!” There was no time to brace ourselves when the burning cart exploded, knocking us off of our feet. The train lurched, metal screeching and hitting something hard, throwing Zoe and me back into the ceiling as it tumbled to the side. My head and back cracked against something solid, a gurgled scream and warm wetness hitting my face the last thing I heard and felt before my body numbed and everything was encased in darkness.


	3. Night, Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think it's Karma; all those times I gave my sister shit in the past and ditched school, it's finally biting me in the ass in the form of a zombie apocalypse. It only gets worse when I lose my best friend and get infected with the same virus that turned everyone into man eating monsters. And now they're going to wipe Raccoon City off of the map, on October first -on my sixteenth birthday of all damn days. Here's hoping I survive it.   
> Follow Lia Valentine; Jill Valentine's younger, trouble-making sister, as she tries to make it through Raccoon City, Nemesis and everything else in-between, all the while trying to keep her sanity and survive being infected by the T-virus.

Smoke was thick in the air, coating my tongue and blocking my airwaves; my whole body in a barrage of pain. That, and the insistent shaking had my head, ribs, back...  _ fuck _ -everywhere  _ hurt _ !

“Lia! Lia, c’mon, speak to me! _Lia_!” I could just make out my sister’s panic-stricken voice and hands on my face over the pounding in my skull, an unbearably hot heat licking at my skin breaking a whimpered cough through my dry lips. “Oh thank God, I’m going to pull you out, okay?” My mind felt sluggish against the pain and I must’ve been silent a moment too long for I felt her hastily drag me away from the source of heat, a sharp cry escaping me. White-hot pain crept up my back, twinging in awful spasms between my shoulder blades as something burrowed _deeper_ into my skin. “Shit, I’m sorry, where does it hurt?” My teeth were grit too hard to speak so I did my best to hiss “ _Back_ ” as she carefully turned me on my side, a whoosh of air blowing past her lips. I didn’t take that as a good sign at all. 

“Hold still, this is going to hurt...” I clenched my eyes closed, a guttural scream ripping from my throat when she pulled  _ something  _ large from between my shoulder blades and I felt a rush of liquid pool down my skin. “Shh, shh. You’re okay, it’s not… it’s not as bad as you think. We need to move, though -can you walk?” I tried my best to blink past the tears and pain, breathing raggedly before attempting to shift my weight with Jill’s help. She managed to pull me to my feet, my head swimming, though half my weight leant against her instead of my left leg; it wasn’t broken, that I knew, but it fucking hurt like a bitch.

“Where’s Zoe?” I croaked, sweeping my blurry eyes over the train wreckage for any sign of my blonde friend. Jill stilled, her arm tightening around my waist and I felt my heart drop as I tore myself away from her, ignoring her shout of protest, when I spotted Zoe lying just feet away; half buried under debris and unmoving.

“Zoe!” My unsteady limped jog stopped just short from her, my eyes widening at the amount of  _ blood _ covering her torso and pooling beneath her -the long, jagged piece of metal piercing straight through her chest, her heart. “No… no, no,  _ no _ !  _ Zoe!!! _ ” 

Jill’s hands wrapped around my arms, trying to steer me away from the sight, but I struggled against her while sobbing uncontrollably, screams tearing from my throat. “Lia,  _ Lia _ ! We need to go, I  _ know _ it hurts, but we have to go. She’s gone! It’s not safe-” 

“I’m not leaving her!” I screamed, desperately trying to reach out to my best friend as flames licked at her body, but Jill was stronger and I could do nothing but struggle fruitlessly and wail as she pulled me further away from the only friend that stuck by me and dealt with all my shit. She didn’t deserve  _ this _ ! 

“Jill  _ please,  _ I can’t-!” My feet stumbled and I fell against her weakly, my sister’s arms wrapping around me fully as she shushed me, rocking me gently as I cried. “I know, I know… But you have to keep going, for Zoe, and for me, okay? You need to survive so she can live on, so no one forgets her…” I hiccuped in between my sobs and finally let her steer me away, her arms not once leaving me as she pulled me into her side protectively, moving us down the emergency side-path.

“I think there’s a way out over there, stay here and don’t move, I’m just going to open the door, okay?” She let me go to wipe at my eyes and face even though more tears fell in their place, and sighed lightly before turning and steering the emergency lock on the door, pushing the heavy metal open. In a matter of seconds she was back, looping her arm around my waist but keeping her weapon gripped tightly in the other and navigating us through a small tunnel that led into an open spaced room. A few handy items were left on tabletops, though I paid them no mind as my thoughts strayed back to Zoe, my heart clenching at leaving her there all alone…

“Carlos, come in. Carlos? Dammit, guess we’re out of range…” I ignored her even as she shifted my weight, and I noticed then the small limp in her stride. My sister really was strong, being able to survive this whole shitshow, see countless people die, and still have the heart to worry about her troublemaker of a little sister. It sent a fresh wave of tears rolling down my cheeks. Her arm tightened slightly around my side as though sensing my thoughts, careful of my injuries.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, kiddo. I promise.” I could only nod, knowing that if I opened my mouth, I’d only cry harder.

**_x-ResidentEvil-x_ **

Fresh, cool night air hit our faces just as an inhuman roar echoed behind us, my heart leaping in my throat. “That fucker’s still alive. We can’t stay here.” Jill breathed, taking us down a small set of steps to jog on flat ground by the river. By now I could walk on my own, the pain in my leg subsided to a dull ache, but Jill still worried about the open wound on my back -I dread to think what it looked like, I didn’t even want to look at what exactly she  _ pulled _ from it. “Don’t leave my side for any reason, got it, Lia?” 

“I won’t.” I replied immediately, voice hoarse. The initial plan was to make it to the clock tower, see if we could get through to Carlos and meet up with him there and hopefully see to our injuries.

My fingers clutched Jill’s handgun while we ran towards the bridge, our feet just landing on the top step when the subway we’d been in moments before exploded in an eruption of flames, the burning form of the monstrosity running out, fighting off the fire encasing its body and stumbling over the rail into the river.

Jill scoffed, “Bitch can’t even swim.” She carried on over the bridge, my footsteps following hers in sync, when she brought a radio up to her lips. 

“Carlos! Respond!” I left her to it, keeping an ear out on what was said while my sore eyes rested solely on the splashing water, not trusting that it’d just drown and that would be it. 

“Yeah, what’s up?” I heard Jill sigh in remorse, her gaze flickering to me before looking down at the ground. “We didn’t make it. The train derailed.”

“Derailed? Was anyone hurt?” His response was immediate, that hero side of him shining through even on the radio. It made my lips twitch a little in a small, sad smile.

“Everybody… Everybody’s dead. Mikhail… Zoe.. Everybody.” My mouth parted but no words came out, and instead I swallowed back the lump forming in my throat and willed the tears away.

“Shit… What about Lia -is your sister okay?” Jill looked over at me and I shrugged numbly; as physically  _ okay _ as I could be after all the shit that’s gone on, and then to lose my best friend in a matter of hours, I probably wasn’t  _ mentally _ . I couldn’t help but blame myself for her death, and that’s something I know I’ll carry with me no matter what Jill or anyone else said to tell me otherwise. 

“She’s hurt but alive, ‘okay’ I’m not sure about, but she’s here with me and that’s all I can ask for, really.” She racked a hand through her hair, an angry snarl twisting her lips. “Nicholai left us to _ die _ .” The line was silent for a millisecond before Carlos replied, shock coating his voice, “Wait, what?” 

From the corner of my eye I saw the water splashing frantically, my pulse racing once again as I caught Jill’s attention. “Jill!” She turned, eyeing the water and muttering a “What the fuck?” before the monster, more massive than before, launched from the water, my scream cut off as Jill snatched my arm and threw us to the ground, just as it collided into the side of the bridge. 

“It’s back! Run!” We scrambled to our feet, hearing Carlos on the other end of the radio shout out “Jill? Jill, what happened?!” as we ran, the thing hot on our heels.

“Keep going Lia!” Jill yelled just before she stopped to pull down some debris on top of it in hopes to slow it down, but it merely shrugged it off and continued chasing us. I jumped over a gap in the bridge, yelping as Jill pulled me to the ground just after to avoid the thing taking our heads off when it leapt over us, her fingers tight around my bicep after pulling me back to my feet. We were up, running, sliding under its arm and jumping over the railing to the road below before I realised we were basically trapped in, with the mutant monster jumping down in front of us in a thundering leap. The tarmac beneath its feet crumbled from its bulking weight and I swallowed the scream in my throat as it roared.

“It’s only after me, so stay back Lia!” Jill yelled, shooting into the thing's face to grab its sole attention. “Come on, you ugly piece of shit!” It barrelled towards us and we leapt separate ways before its fists slammed down onto the ground, creating a small crater where we’d stood just seconds ago. It turned its back on me, focusing on my sister as she swapped weapons, blasting grenades into its flesh, dodging and ducking from its swipes and leaps. 

I stood trembling and breathing hard, unable to move while she took it on by herself, until it took enough blasts that it screeched in rage, my eardrums feeling as though they were going to explode. It turned, looping around the roundabout and heading my way -I screamed and ducked, for whatever good it’d do- before it jumped onto a discarded ambulance, dashing and leaping across the surrounding vehicles until it landed on an explosive mine Jill shot out, flinging it back onto the ground in front of her. It lay stunned while she shot at something pulsing from its chest, blood splattering the ground. Was that its weak point? Jill seemed to have everything under control, but I felt useless huddling off to the side while she risked her life to save both of ours. 

I glanced down at the gun in my hand, knowing I had a few more spare bullets in my back pocket, and rushed over to her side, aiming stiffly and shooting at the things chest. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! You’re injured! Go and find cover, I’ve got this!” I ignored her, gritting my teeth when the hideous thing pushed itself back up and we darted back just as it launched itself forward, slashing its claws towards us. “For fuck’s sake Lia, just this once, listen to me!”

“No! I’m not letting this thing kill you! I’ve already lost Zoe, you’re  _ all  _ I have left, injuries be damned!” We ran in sync, my fear overridden by my desperateness to help my sister as we shot at the creature, Jill blasting off explosive rounds with raw anger on her face. “Fuck..! Fine, but you run if I tell you, got it?” 

“Got it!” I shot two more times when it jumped back onto the vehicles, dashing along and Jill planting a mine that it ran straight into, throwing it back on the ground with the pulsing mass sticking out of its chest. We shot at it until it got back up again, and it repeated the same pattern -slashing at us, leaping, and then running along the car tops. It didn’t seem to have any other strategy.

“It's doing the same thing over and over, we’ve got this!” I called over to Jill, ducking under its arm and sliding to make distance between us, jogging a little further away to reload my gun while Jill pumped shotgun shells into it. 

“Don’t let your guard down, it’s getting more aggressive!” She cried out when it crashed into her, sending her careening across the ground. “Jill!” I rushed closer, shooting unsteadily in panic but managing to draw the monster’s attention away from my sister. “Yeah, over here you great ugly fucker! Come get me!” My pulse was racing when it took a great leap towards me, and I just managed to roll out of the way with a pained gasp when its hand swiped out at me, smashing into the ground just inches from my head. “Lia get out of there!” 

I scrambled to my feet, though not fast enough, as claws slashed across my already sliced back and ripped a scream from my lungs, sending me back down to the ground face first. “ _ Lia! _ Get the fuck away from her!” Blast after blast hit the back of the monster, making it roar and round on my sister. “Let’s do this, you ugly fuck.” It went to leap and she sent it straight back down with a grenade blast, “Suck it!” 

She fired on it every time it went to stand, until it finally rocked back and crashed down onto a car, hopefully dead. I groaned, struggling to push myself onto my hands and knees, my arms shaking with the strained effort when the slashes across my back pulled and burned in fiery hot pain. “...Shit… Here, we need to get out of here and find some place safe to stop the bleeding.” Gently, and oh-so carefully, Jill looped my arm around her neck and helped me to my feet, darting her eyes between the ‘dead’ monster and me. “Let me radio Carlos, we’ll need his help.” I nodded, feeling sweat trickle down my face and  _ more _ blood coat my back, each movement stabbing pain through my skin. I bit my lip to stop the whimpers threatening to escape, but couldn’t hold back the tears, more and more of my weight resting against Jill.

“Carlos?! You still there?!” There was no immediate reply and Jill huffed impatiently, “Oh, come on. You’re gonna crap out on me  _ now? _ God damn it!” She carefully adjusted my arm and steered us towards an alley, the only escape route we could see. “C’mon, let’s hurry and get out of here. We need to patch you up, pronto.” We took baby steps as my head swam, my skin clammy to the touch; both wary as we stepped over the monstrosity’s arm, half expecting it to grab us then and there but it stayed unmoving. 

“I hope that thing stays dead this time-” I rasped, only for my words to be cut off by another shriek as we were suddenly grabbed and sent crashing down to the ground, gravel digging into my open wounds. Jill grunted beside me before she was dragged forward, the fleshy mutation hovering over her, her gunshots echoing in the alley. I tried to weakly crawl towards her, but she aimed upward, shooting the chain above the gate until it fell straight on the things arm, cutting it off with a roar. She wiggled free and was up and on her feet, dragging me up onto mine when she cried out and lurched forward, face frozen in shock and pain as she let go of me completely, her fingers wrapping around something embedded into her arm and pulling it out, her feet unsteady.

“Jill! W-what’s wrong?” I panted, my body shivering but whether it was from adrenaline of that thing coming back to life, or shock from blood loss, I wasn’t sure. Either way I couldn’t hold myself up anymore, my legs giving out on me as I fell back to the ground, my breathing uneven. Is this how it was all going to end, after coming so far? I could just barely hear Jill choking and gasping for air, but I could do nothing against the numbness overtaking my body and the black haze filling my vision; the taste of iron heavy on my tongue. “J-Ji...ll…”

**_x-ResidentEvil-x_ **

My body was a mix of hot and cold; fire in my veins and skin like ice while Zoe hummed softly beside me, her fingers running through my hair the same way Jill always used to. I pried my eyes open against the salty coating of dried tears, gazing up to see glossy blonde hair and bright blue eyes -her usual sunny smile planted on her face. “Zoe?” 

She laughed at my disbelief and let me sit upright, stretching her arms above her head. “About time you woke up, lazy! We missed the whole afternoon of classes because you slept like a rock!” She was giggling, cheeks rosied in her amusement, but I could only continue to stare in shock, the pain mysteriously gone. She was alive! Was that all just a bad dream? A fucked-up nightmare from too many video games and horror movies? 

“Lia? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” All at once she was concerned, her cool hand pushing back my hair to rest on my forehead, eyes shining in worry. I lightly shook my head, pressing my forehead into the coolness of her skin and sighing in relief. “I’m okay, just a  _ really  _ bad dream. I’ll tell you about it later, once I can wrap my head around it… What time is it?” I pulled back and looked up at the sky, was we on the school roof? Frowning in confusion at the weird, murky red and black canvas above us, a haze of grey floating below it. It was like the aftermath of a fire, but in the  _ sky _ , and was that ash floating down onto us? 

“It’s just after half two in the afternoon, Lia. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re looking at the sky like it’s seriously offended you. Whatever horror movie you’ve watched must be playing with your mind, girl.” She laughed again and stood, dusting the ash off of her school uniform skirt like it was normal, and offered me a burnt, bloody hand. I gasped and shuffled away, rubbing my eyes fervently, hoping it was them playing tricks on me. But nothing got rid of the image of Zoe in front of me, bloody and burnt, bone glistening through the gap in her chest. She wasn’t like that a  _ second ago. _ She frowned at me, blackened fingers probing the bleeding hole over her heart.

“You know, it’s your fault this happened to me. If you didn’t drag me along to find your sister, I would still be  _ me, _ out of this piece of shit city,  _ safe _ and with my  _ family _ . But you left me there to burn, didn’t you? You fucking  _ left  _ me!” 

My heart was racing, my mouth opening and closing but the words kept dying on my lips every time I blinked up at her -Zoe  _ didn’t  _ swear. She looked  _ disappointed _ ,  _ hateful _ as she toyed with a jagged piece of shrapnel, the same piece that had pierced her; dull blue irises ringed in blood red boring into my own. “I should’ve expected it, to be honest. You never really thought about anyone else but yourself all this time,  _ am I right? _ ” She laughed a high, girlish giggle, and it looked and sounded so  _ wrong  _ on her decaying face. “Of course, I’m  _ always  _ right,  _ right _ ?” Her laughter was turning into madness, bloody tears falling from her eyes, but I couldn’t get myself to move -it was like I was frozen in place, my voice stolen. Was  _ I _ going mad? Was this a dream, inside a dream -or was this reality, Zoe’s ghost haunting me and making me suffer for leaving her against my will? 

“You’re still as funny as always, aren’t you Lia? Just your expression is amusing.” She stepped towards me, a twisted, crazed smile on her lips, voice suddenly sweet and like  _ Zoe _ . “Let me return the favour, because you always helped me in the past, didn’t you? Let me help you…  _ die. _ ”

She plunged the shrapnel straight through my heart, twisting it and laughing in glee, my mouth stretched in a silent scream as excruciating agony engulfed me, darkness overtaking my sight. 

“ _ Night, night, Lia. _ ”

**Author's Note:**

> My second attempt at a Resident Evil fanfic, based on the Resident Evil 3 remake, with the outbreak seen through the eyes of my OC; Jill Valentine's fifteen year old sister, Lia Valentine, and her best friend Zoe Robinson. Hope you enjoy!


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